Essay - Heavy Traffic in City Centre Our city has been having problems dealing with heavy traffic in the town centre as too many vehicles mean polluted air, noise, and complications for pedestrians. Since the last summer accident, in which two young men were hit by a car and died, people do not feel safe walking down the streets in The Old Town anymore. Pedestrian-friendly environment has numerous positive effects on the quality of life and the development of small businesses and therefore we need to look for solutions to this problem that will work. One way to stop people from driving their cars to the city centre might be improving the public transportation system. There are very few buses connecting the suburbs with the inner-city, and consequently, most residents have no other option but to use their cars to go to work or shopping. New and more frequent transport lines to the city centre can lower the number of vehicles on the streets. However, it is a fact that people used to a level of comfort will not easily give up on driving their cars. It is therefore necessary that the government increases parking fees and invests money into public transport in order to make it reasonably priced. Although some people argue that this will put a heavy burden on the city budget, cities that have a well functioning public transport have shown to be more productive as their residents spend less time commuting to work. Lowering the number of cars makes traffic quicker and free of congestions. City centre without cars is not an inaccessible model - with a good and thorough plan, our government can limit the number of vehicles in the inner-city. Investment in public transport is an essential step towards a modern city, but I believe that only creating new lines connecting the residential areas is not enough - we also need to increase the price ratio between bus tickets and parking fees.

Blog Post Last Saturday, the school drama society in collaboration with the school choir organised a amaterous theatrical production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It was a charity event for the victims of the flood in Rimavské Janovce. All profit from the tickets went to the local council to help build new houses in the village. The show took place in the school hall from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The show was open for all visitors but most of the audience were parents and close relatives of students featured in the show. Everyone was very generous and we managed to raise more than 1000 Euros. As well as that, it was a great opportunity for the young actors and they were moved by the big applause of the audience after the show. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the evening. I personally had a wonderful time watching the show. All the choir and drama club members had practiced very hard and I was happy to see that their effort was not wasted and the evening was a great success. I hope there will be more similar projects at our school next year. However, there still was room for improvement and I have a few tips on what could be done a bit differently next time. The performance was over two hours long and that is too much for younger children who made up a significant number of the audience. (Parents got a bit bored, too, to be honest). I suggest making school shows shorter. Another problem was the school hall. There were not enough seats for everyone. Hiring a proper facility is not that expensive afterall and maybe we could get it for free if it is a charity event!

Writing a letter to my host family I am writing a letter to my host family in Japan. I came home from Japan around two years and I haven't contacted them since. What kind of language should I use in the letter? Are words like　いらっしゃいます too formal? My Japanese has got a bit rusty and so has my sense for Japanese culture. I would appreciate if you could help me.

Sätze Lestes Jahr ist meine Katze Nicko gestorben. Als mein Freund mit mir Schluss gemacht hat, habe ich den ganzen Tag geweint. I habe Angst, dass ich das Abitur nicht machen werde. Sein Gesicht war blässer als zuvor. Viele Studenten bekommen nicht genung Schlaf. Mit ihr lacht man immer - sie ist sehr witzig. Als meine Katze gestorben ist, hat meine Mutter mich getröstet. Herz ist ein Organ. Er hat in dem Test ein Eins bekommen - er hatte einfach viel Glück. Sei nicht traurig! Ich hatte 41°C Fieber, also wir sind ins Krankenhaus gefahren.

Email Dear Jenny, Thanks for you letter and sorry for not replying sooner. As you already know, I’ve decided to study engineering in England because universities in my country simply don’t offer such a wide variety of bachelor courses. And I also think that with degree from a foreign university, I won’t have a hard time looking for a job. I’ve heard that tuition fees at prestigious universities are quite high but unfortunately, my family isn’t a good financial situation so I’ll have to get a part-time job. I’m not aiming for Oxbridge but I do want to have a solid educational background, so I’d really appreciate if you could do some research on university courses that aren’t too expensive but at the same time will allow me to become an expert in my area. I’d also like to save some money on accommodation and living expenses so it would be fantastic if the campus were outside of London. What do you think? Does such a university even exist? Thank you so much for being so helpful! I hope that my plan will come true and we’ll see each other in England. Cheers Julia

Motivation Letter I would like to express my interest in the internship programme for high school students at XXX as I believe my skills make me a suitable candidate. I became interested in physics only two years ago after a 1-year-long stay in Japan when I have discovered the world of physics. It amazed me with its never-ending curiosity, desire to go deeper and to look for answers when other sciences stop asking. And as I have always enjoyed mathematics and as a child I took first and second places in various mathematics competitions, I was only happy to find a use for my mathematics skills. I have taken part in XXX at XXX University in XXX through which I have gained useful experience in this field. I enjoy other disciplines as well, both natural sciences and humanities. I always look for relations between subjects because I think that only then I can fully understand them. I enjoy working in a team, meeting new people and communicating with them. I am reliable, flexible and I can reflect on my weaknesses. Through this internship programme, I hope to develop a deeper understanding of particle physics and also meet researches and experts in this area, and other students who share the same passion for science as me. But most importantly, I believe this would allow me to learn useful practical skills and experience in experimental physics. I have not yet fully decided on my future career path, but the idea of devoting my life to science seems very appealing to me. I am considering signing up for a degree in physics or in an interdisciplinary subject combing physics with other natural sciences such as chemistry. I am excited about this opportunity as it would be a very valuable experience for my future development and my passion for physics.

Brief Lieber Bernd, danke für die Einladung, ich komme sehr gern mit! Die Killerpilze will ich natürlich live sehen und dieses Konzert ist eine Schanze, die man nur einmal im Leben bekommst. Ich wohne in der Nähe von dir, wir könnten also zusammen hinfahren. Kennst du die Bushaltestelle vor dem Schiller-Gymnasium in der Ludwigstraße? Es ist nur 5 Minuten zu Fuß von deinem Haus. Treffen wir dort oder willst du allein fahren? Auf jeden Fall, wir sollen vor 19 Uhr losfahren, weil der Stadthalle ganz fern ist und mit dem Bus dauert die Fahrt mehr als eine Stunde. Um wie viel Uhr endet das Konzert? In der Nacht fahren keine Busse, deshalb werden wir mit dem Taxi nach Hause zurückfahren müssen. Was denkst du? Gib mir bitte bald Bescheid, meine Eltern sind auch nicht sehr begeistert, dass ich am Dienstag ins Konzert gehe, und wollen wissen, wann ich zurückkomme. Ich freue mich auf das Konzert! Bis dann!

Letter to My Japanese Teacher I know this is not something I am supposed to ask for, but could someone please translate the middle of the letter into Japanese and check the rest? My Japanese has got very rusty so I'm afraid I would not be able to fully convey my feelings and thoughts. It is a letter for my Japanese teacher. We were quite close so it shouldn't be too formal. I'll be very thankful if someone helps me and translates it. 寒い日が続きますが、お元気でいらっしゃいますか。 お手紙ありがとうございました。 日本からスロバキアに帰ってから一年間が経ちましたが、私から連絡がなくて本当にすみません。 After I got back home from Japan, I felt like I needed to sort my life out, to find who I really am and who I want to be. Now I am living a happy, fulfilling life and that is all thanks to what I had experienced in Japan. It was a great life lecture. I just want to thank you for taking a great care of me while I was in Japan. I had a wonderful time there thanks to you. Third-year-students are done with juken, aren’t they? They must all have worked have very hard. Unfortunately, I cannot come to Japan and see them on their graduation day even though I have promised I will. I hope they will enjoy their university studies. Please send them my regards. I hope that one day I will be able to visit Japan and meet you again. これからも宜しくお願いいたします。

Informal Letter Hi Sarah, Congratulations on your passing the driving test! Finally you can use the car you’ve got from you parents. We’ve just got home from London. Everything was perfect there expect the journey and the fact that we didn’t have a chance to meet up. It’s such a shame! We took a flight from Vienna to Paris and then to London. We had to transit! What’s more, on the plane there was a baby crying the whole time and a old man spilled his wine into my lap. I simply hate flying. Anyway, enjoyed every moment of our time in England. My hotel room had a spectacular view at Themses and since it was in the centre of London, we could easily get anywhere we wanted. We did a lot of sightseeing and were quite lucky because even very touristy areas weren’t as crowded as usual. We saw a crime happening. I know it’s not something to be excited about but it was a very gripping experience. We were waiting for our dad to get tickets to a museum when a man snatch the purse of a woman sitting on a bench in front of us. The woman was quick - she managed to grab the purse and she pulled it back. She wouldn’t let it go until the man eventually gave up and ran away. A police officer, who saw the accident but was standing too far to help the woman, caught the mugger. It was very stupid of him to try to mug someone at such a crowded place with a lot of police around. All in all, it was a lovely holiday. I’m really looking forward to visiting London again next week. What do you suggest we do together? Please let me know as soon as possible so I can start packing my clothes. Love Julia